The volcanic plug is quite a recent phenomenon, having formed as part of the Cameroon line of volcanoes roughly three and a half million years ago in the Pliocene.

[3] The moss growing on the rocks due to high moisture content, and the presence of snakes, make climbing here very difficult.

However the first successful ascent was achieved in February 1991 by a Japanese team consisting of Yosuke Takahashi, Kenichi Moriyama, and Naotoshi Agata.

The route is both extremely long and technically very demanding, and their climb was plagued with difficulties, including snakebites and blown battery chargers.

[2] In July 2018, the Spanish brothers Iker and Eneko Pou completed a multi-day team redpoint ascent of a new route.